It’s been a while, I know. A long while, I think. The last I spoke with you, I told you that I was planning on making changes and wanted to make ParisienSalon.com something different. And then I disappeared, and ParisienSalon.com sat gathering dust, like an abandoned (yet utterly fabulous) Parisian apartment—the one in desperate need of a complete renovation.

Ever since I decided to take sole responsibility for writing the content of ParisienSalon, life has conspired to make that a difficult task for me. There have been technical glitches, bouts with the flu, crazy deadlines and whatnot. So, yes, I’ve been missing in action, and missing in Paris since December. Je suis desolé.

I started writing this post over the weekend, after reading Sherry Long’s Dog Trots Globe To Paris & Provence, a story about Sherry’s trip to Paris and Provence with her husband and dog. In fact, the whole book is written from the point of view of Chula, the Long’s 9-year old Sheltie. I never finished writing this post over the weekend because Ella, my 9-year old Yorkie, got sick. Again. (At Christmas, she was hit with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, which is as horrid and bloody as it sounds.) So I spent the last few days at the vet, or nursing my suddenly and uncharacteristically needy pup. I believe the literary gods call that “irony.” Read on to learn more, and to get a chance to win this great book.

Right around the time that I re-imagined what I wanted ParisienSalon.com to be, a publisher sent me a copy of Jennifer L. Scott’s “Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris. ”The timing couldn’t be better. After all, ParisienSalon.com was now all about enjoying life like a Parisian, and who better to share her tips on how to do so than the editor of The Daily Connoisseur. Ms. Scott has been talking about the art of fine living since starting her blog in 2008. So, want to know what I learned from the book? Read on.

A few years ago, when I began to venture deeper into the “real Paris,” I decided to stay in one of the vacation apartments offered by Gail Boisclair of Perfectly Paris. Located on the Rue des Lévis in the 17th arrondissement, it was as far off the tourist track as I had ever ventured. It was love at first sight. There are many market streets in Paris—rue Mouffetard, rue Montorgueil, and rue Cler come immediately to mind—but most tourists (and many Parisians) have little experience with rue des Lévis.

You may have noticed that I’ve been away for a while. Please also note that I said “I” rather than “we.” But I’m back now…and I have big, exciting plans for ParisienSalon.com. Please read on to find out why I’ve been away for so long, and what the future holds for the site.

Richard Nahem, our Eye Prefer Paris expert, received a generous gift certificate from his friends to Les Bains du Marais for the hammam, a massage and a manicure. Looking forward to some R & R, if only for a few hours, he made his appointment for Friday afternoon … just in time to unwind from a long and hectic week.

When you’re looking for the best hidden shopping streets in Paris, one of the places you’re unlikely to start your search is just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Yet, just across the Champ de Mars gardens on the border of the 7th and 15th arrondissement, is a charming neighborhood where you’ll find the narrow rue du Commerce. The street is chock full of boutiques for a truly Parisian shopping experience—sans the traffic and tourists.

I can already tell I’m going to get into trouble with this, but I’ve never been afraid to ruffle a few feathers (especially of the French variety), so here goes. As a female ex-pat, living in Paris is no guarantee that you’ll automatically become a local. If you’re not a Parisienne and you want to be, these are the rules.*